Battery box for engine driven welder

Abstract

A battery box for an engine driven welding machine slides in an opening in the welding machine base between closed and open positions. When the battery box is in the closed position, a battery secured to a battery box is concealed inside the base. When the battery box is in the open position, the battery is exposed for servicing. Panels assembled to the base define an opening in the base. The panels cooperate with the base floor to form slots in which the battery box slides. The panels and base floor provide a cantilever support for the battery box when it is in the open position. A finger hole in the battery box is surrounded on one side by a small housing that keeps foreign material out of the machine base when the battery box is in the closed position.

We claim: 
     
       1. An engine driven welding machine comprising: a. a base having a floor;   b. means mounted in the base for producing welding power;   c. battery box means for sliding horizontally within the base between open and closed positions;   d. an electrical storage battery secured to the battery box means, the battery being exposed outside of the base when the battery box means is in the open position and being concealed inside the base when the battery box means is in the closed position, the battery box means further comprising: i. a carrier having a vertical plate and a horizontal plate that defines a finger hole; and   ii. bracket means joined to the carrier for guiding the battery on the carrier horizontal plate and for surrounding the carrier finger hole on one side of the carrier horizontal plate; and     e. panel means assembled to the base for forming a vertical surface from the base with an opening therein in which the battery box slides and for cooperating with the base floor to cantilever support the battery box means in the open position, so that the battery box means is fully supported horizontally by the base floor and the panel means when the battery box means is in the open position.     
     
     
       2. The welding machine of claim 1 wherein the battery box means comprises: a. a carrier having a vertical plate and a horizontal plate that defines a finger hole proximate the vertical plate; and   b. a bracket joined to the carrier, the bracket comprising: i. a channel section that guides the battery on the carrier; and   ii. a housing section adjacent the bracket channel section that surrounds the finger hole.     
     
     
       3. The welding machine of claim 1 wherein the panel means comprises first and second panels assembled to the base, each panel having an outside leg, a middle leg, and an inside leg, the outside legs of the panels being coplanar and forming the vertical surface from the base, the middle legs of the panels defining the opening in the base vertical surface in which the battery box means slides between the open and closed positions thereof. 
     
     
       4. The welding machine of claim 3 wherein: a. the middle legs of the first and second panels are slightly shorter than the respective outside and inside legs; and   b. the outside and inside legs of the panels are notched to cooperate with the middle legs and the base floor to define a horizontal slot on each side of the opening in the base vertical surface.   
     
     
       5. The welding machine of claim 3 wherein the battery box means comprises tab means for contacting the inside leg of at least one panel to prevent sliding the battery box means completely out of the opening in the base vertical surface. 
     
     
       6. The welding machine of claim 1 wherein: a. the panel means comprises first and second panels assembled to the base, each panel having an outside leg, a middle leg, and an inside leg, the outside legs of the panels being coplanar and forming the vertical surface from the base, the middle legs defining the opening in the base vertical surface;   b. the outside, middle, and inside legs of the panels cooperate with the base floor to define horizontal slots on both sides of the opening in the base surface; and   c. the carrier horizontal plate slides within the slots in the base vertical surface and is horizontally cantilever supported therein when the battery box means is in the open position.   
     
     
       7. The welding machine of claim 6 wherein the carrier horizontal plate is formed with at least one tab that contacts a panel when the battery box means is in the open position. 
     
     
       8. A method of providing access to a battery of an engine driven welding machine comprising the steps of: a. providing a base with a floor and a vertical surface with a opening therein;   b. forming slots in the opening in the base vertical surface adjacent the base floor;   c. securing the battery to a horizontal plate of a battery box;   d. installing the battery box horizontal plate in the slots in the base opening;   e. sliding the battery box out of the base opening to an open position and thereby exposing the battery;   f. cantilever supporting the battery box horizontally in the slots in the base opening; and   g. contacting the base with at least one tab on the battery box and thereby preventing the battery box from sliding completely out of the base opening.